1999 | History

Launched by the Daily Mirror, the very first Pride of Britain Awards was held at the Dorchester Hotel in London's Park Lane in May 1999. It was hosted, as it has been every year since, by the incomparable Carol Vorderman.

The idea took off immediately. The winners included Donna Marie McGillion who had narrowly survived the Omagh bomb a year earlier. And among the guests were Tony Blair, who had only been Prime Minister for two years, Sir Paul McCartney, Victoria Beckham, and Queen Noor of Jordan.

ITV decided to screen the event from the following year, 2000. It exceeded all expectations, attracting 10 million viewers.

HRH Prince Charles launched the Prince's Trust Young Achiever of The Year category at Pride of Britain 2001 and has kindly supported and been involved with our Awards every year since.